11 ways to trick yourself into working hard, even when you're not in the mood

When it's just you on your living-room floor, it's tempting to do
a few push-ups and quit, even though you said you'd do 20. And
when it's Saturday morning and you're supposed to be working on
that novel you said you'd write, it's easy just to… not.

Below, we've rounded up some of the best tips and strategies on
there. Read on and find out how to give yourself a kick in the
pants when you need it most.

1. Change the way you talk to yourself

Quora user
Bhaskar Bagchi writes about being a success seeker,
as opposed to a failure avoider. It's an idea attributable to
a TEDx
talk by Scott Geller, Ph.D., a professor of psychology
at Virginia Tech.

In the talk, Geller says finding self-motivation is about
reframing the way you talk to yourself. For example, if you're a
student, do you go to class so you don't get kicked out of school
(i.e. failure avoidance)? Or do you go to class so you learn more
and get closer to your career goals (i.e. success seeking)?
Chances are, you'll be much more motivated to perform well in the
second scenario.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others

When you feel like you're falling behind on your goals, it's
tempting to look around at all the people who seem to be
achieving theirs.

But that tendency will only undermine your confidence and your
ability to make progress, says Micha
Kaufman.

"A case of the Joneses is about the best way to make you feel
like you're worth nothing," he writes. "When such comparisons
enter your head, recognize that these are just negative thoughts
and let them pass."

Research suggests another reason why comparing yourself to
others isn't a great idea. We're notoriously poor judges of how
other people are feeling, meaning we think that everyone else is
happy all the time and we're the only ones struggling, when in
fact other people are probably in the same boat.

3. Understand your purpose

Research supports Wang's idea.
One study found that call center employees at a
public university performed significantly better when they met
students who had benefited from donations to the school. In other
words, learning about the potential impact of their
efforts motivated them to work harder.

4. Keep a daily diary

Gerard Danford mentions research by Teresa Amabile, Ph.D., a
professor at Harvard Business School, which found that making
even a little bit of progress can be tremendously motivating for
workers.

That's why it helps to record your progress along the way — for
example, a phone call you made to help secure a sale. That way,
you can look back at the end of the day and feel empowered to
take another step forward tomorrow.

"Keep track of your small wins," Amabile says in a video posted
on Academy Bridge. "Keep track of your progress every day. That
can be very motivational."

One way to keep track of that progress is to write a "done
list," which features everything useful you did today (as
opposed to a to-do list, which indicates how far you have left to
go).

5. Remember where you started

Once you start keeping a diary, flip back to your entries from a
few weeks or months ago.

"It can be very motivating to look back at where you came
from," writes Ben
Baert, because you'll realize that you're capable of making
great strides.

For example, Baert says, "if you're learning how to draw, draw
something (a cup, a tree, an animal), then draw the same thing
again after a couple of weeks/months. Then compare with the
original. That moment will be very motivational."

6. Don't fear criticism

No one likes to hear that they're doing something wrong. But try
to keep your emotions in check.

"Consider the source and decide if the person really has the
expertise or knowledge to make his or her
comments," writes MaRina
Abaza. "If you decide that the words are not just empty
accusations, look at it as an opportunity to improve yourself."

In fact, psychologist and executive coach
Marshall Goldsmith says that other people's perceptions of
you can be even more important than your perception
of you, especially in the workplace. That's because their
feedback allows you to compare the self you want to be with the
self you're really presenting to the rest of the world.

If you approach the criticism with a clear head, it could end up
being exactly the motivation you need.

It's "important to recognize when enough is enough," he says.
"Set a realistic quitting time for yourself, and stick to it at
least most days of the week. Stop answering emails after 8 p.m.,
or take Sundays off. You'll feel more refreshed and more
productive when you allow yourself some down time."

8. Spend time with smart people

It's always intimidating to be in a room full of
super-intelligent, super-knowledgeable folks — say, at a
professional conference. But the experience can prompt you to
challenge yourself to work harder than you thought you could.

Devansh Malik recommends spending time with people
"who know way more than you about anything and everything. This
will encourage you to learn more and to achieve [so] that you'll
automatically work hard."

9. Rely on habits

"It's better to build the habit of studying X hours/day, and do
it religiously, [so that] very soon you're going to be studying
automatically," he writes.

One reason why practicing habits often trumps finding motivation
is that you don't have to
exercise your willpower to make the choice to
study. It's simply something you do without thinking.

To start, figure out both the cue
and reward for your old habit. For example, maybe you
have a bag of chips each day when you get home from work
because it relaxes you. If you want to start a healthier habit,
you can use arriving home as the cue to change into
your jogging gear, and that warm and fuzzy post-exercise feeling
as the reward. Soon the exercise habit will have replaced
snacking, and you won't need to muster up the motivation to
jog every day after work.

10. Anticipate difficulties

If you prepare for challenges instead of pretending they won't
come up, you'll be better equipped to fight them when they do
arise.

"Anticipate this, and come up with a strategy for dealing with it
in advance. Tell yourself 'when I get frustrated and want to
quit, I will _______.' Your blank could take many forms — a
reminder of some goal that your new focus will help you achieve,
a reward you'll treat yourself to at the end of the day, etc."

You pick a cue: a specific time or place. Then you pick a
desirable action that you can link to that cue.

So if your goal is to lose weight, your plan might be "when I get
frustrated and want to quit, I will call my most supportive
friend." That way, your brain will be programmed to have you dial
said friend — instead of eat a cupcake — every time you get down
on yourself.

11. Focus on the process

You've heard it before: Life is a journey, not a destination.

Matthew Jones writes: "Sometimes you find more motivation
when you stop focusing on the final destination and start
enjoying the journey. Paying too much attention to the end goal
produces stress and anxiety that wears you down with time, but
when you fall in love with the process itself, you become
revitalized."

Ariely's best advice is to schedule time for a workout and trust
that you'll like it once you get started. Because once you
do, thoughts of getting stronger and looking better — the
likely outcomes of exercising regularly — kind of melt away.
Instead you take in the sensation of your breath, the music
coming through your headphones, and the sound of your feet
hitting the ground.

In other words, your in-the-moment experience matters as much as
or more than the end result.